Mindful Movement — Somatic Dance Classes

Online via Zoom & In Person on Salt Spring Island, B.C.

Credentials:
Ph.D. in Dance (Temple University, 2009)
Registered Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator (ISMETA certification)
Dynamic Embodiment Practitioner (Certification with Dr. Martha Eddy)
BodyMind Dancing (Certification with Dr. Martha Eddy)
Laban/Bartenieff and Somatic Studies International Foundations (training with Janet Kaylo)
19 years as a tenured university professor of Dance in Los Angeles and other cities
Professional dancer with over 30 years of training in various contemporary Western and African dance traditions, improvisation, and Authentic Movement.

Seonagh’s Classes

In my somatic dance classes I nurture an open environment with good music where I hope you feel free to express yourself physically while taking care of your body’s needs.

What to Expect

Every class begins with a warm up that includes alignment, balance, weight shifts, and targeted work on the fascia. Then, I share anatomically designed movement phrases to help us attune to inner sensations and support well-being. I choreograph movement with options to work for different levels of dancers. Improvising with movement combinations helps us develop intuitively and creatively. No prior dance experience is needed and the practice is accessible for most bodies and ages.

Through subtle body awareness, students are invited to remember and perceive safety in the body, learn how to modulate their energy levels, and release tension, stress, or physical pain. These movement classes help participants learn to be more present, turn up or down the volume on their energy level and output, and explore dynamic connections in the body and the boundaries of personal space.

Influences

I guide each class with imagery influenced by over 30 years of background in meditation and yoga, and by time with nature. I teach dance techniques from contemporary Western and African movement traditions. My way of teaching is also informed by my teacher John Pennington, a Bella Lewitsky dancer who shows the “how” of movement by focusing on the anatomical, mechanical and qualitative processes of executing a movement, rather than just the final shape or position, and who nurtures open-minded curiosity and community building in class. I play with movement phrases and approaches derived from my teachers in BodyMind Dancing™ (Dr. Martha Eddy), experiential anatomy from BodyMind Centering™ (Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen), and Irmgard Bartenieff’s Fundamentals, which I learned from teachers who studied directly with Irmgard.

Upcoming Classes

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Indigenous Peoples Weekend

June 19 @ 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm PDT

Logo credit: Quw’utsun artist, Charlene Johnny

Reconciliation through Movement Languages: A Movement Workshop

Workshop Leaders: Elder Daniel Elliot (Stz’uminus), Elder Robert George (Quw’utsun’), Dr. Seónagh Kummer

This workshop offers a rare glimpse into an interdisciplinary artistic process. Participants are invited into the creative process through a guided movement exercise, or may participate by observing.

The workshop brings together various artists involved in “Dances with Addictions,” an art film in development conceived by Elder Daniel Elliot (Stz’uminus). The film concept brings together Wing Chun martial arts, T’sinqwa First Nations dance, and a parallel world of classical dance technique and somatic movement. At the centre of the film is a man who confronts his Spirit of Addiction, embodied as a physical presence. His struggle unfolds in a duet, which is expressed through martial arts. The film shows fragmented environments–street reality, trauma memory, and lived experiences–that merge through green screen compositing, placing the viewer inside the internal world of addiction. As the film progresses, the Spirit of Addiction is no longer an enemy, but is realized as part of the self.

From the moment of transforming the Spirit of Addiction onward, the film expands into community. Elders and T’sinqwa dancers ground this process in culture and ceremony. Running alongside the visible conflict of addiction within the film is a parallel movement world offered by contemporary dancers under the direction of Dr. Seónagh Kummer who choreographs the classical dance movement and street scenes within the film. The classical dance movement both parallels and develops the film’s themes, carrying within it the internal truth of transformation as it becomes shared and collective.

During the workshop, the various artists share about their creative roles before inviting participants into the circle. Elder Daniel Elliot offers his artistic vision for the film. The T’sinqwa dancers led by Elder Robert George (Quw’utsun’) share and discuss the role of dance in community and ceremony, which is central to grounding the film in culture. Daniel and Seónagh describe their patient artistic collaboration—an act of deep listening, friendship building, and slow development as they trusted the creative process to evolve Daniel’s vision. Daniel’s themes of caregiving guided the movement motifs that Seónagh used to focus the movement creation. Working closely with dancer-collaborator Robbyn Scott to develop a duet, this movement expression then deepened a dialogue with Daniel to support the film’s development.

Now, mirroring the Virginia Satir Change Model that shapes Daniel’s film concept, we invite new movement elements. New dancers, recently introduced into the process, offer us new communication styles, shapes and patterns. Participants in this workshop may also help expand the movement creation process. Through a guided movement exercise, a new chaos emerges to inform the direction of the work.

Embodying Gandhi @ Pedagogy of Ahimsa

July 6 @ 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm PDT

This is a workshop for educators to explore key Gandhian principles of non-violent activism through embodiment practices. Movement experiences will be accessible to all levels and abilities, and the content will focus on embodying one of five key Gandhian principles. We will apply these principles to real-world examples, approaching learning through a model for change I developed through years of practice. Educators will experience how externalizing ideas in a physical space and expressing a concept in physical form can shift a learner’s understanding of that concept.

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Frequently Asked Questions

You might not be a dancer. That’s okay. People who attend are different ages and time zones, and have different comfort levels with their bodies and dance. I will guide some movement but please adapt this to your own body, going easier/harder with the movement as you wish.

Somatic dance is a method of finding awareness of self through investigating your body’s movement with curiosity and presence. It works for different levels, particularly in online classes, because everyone can feel free to adapt the movement practice in whatever ways you wish, as long as they do not harm the body.

We explore somatic exercises that target fluids and meridians of the body, myofascial movement principles, developmental patterning, Body-Mind Centering ™ techniques (experiential anatomy), BodyMind Dancing ™ techniques, and authentic movement.

Whether we participate in classes online or in person, each of us is provided with an opportunity for connection that differs in some key ways from what we typically encounter in our day to day lives. Classes are informed by what each person chooses to share about their physical, emotional, or mental wellness or desires, and in this way, we each shape our environment and witness others in this practice.

One beauty of an online class like this is that no one watches us too closely. We are all dancing alone together. In some way we can energize and support one another just by moving. But we also take time to check in before and after class. This can help us feel less alone or distressed.

You could do the class from a small private space in your office or living room, or in a larger space, depending on what is available to you. Likewise, I am sometimes in a smallish space, and working in new ways online, so it is possible we will encounter technical issues. I hope you will be patient and we will have a laugh.

In somatic dance class we move mindfully, tune into inner bodily sensations, and move from within while exploring movement that is designed anatomically to shift mood and energy levels. The movement assists a reconnection to our inherent embodied dynamism. Our bodies are designed for efficiency, but when we sit for long durations at a computer or in a car, this dynamic capacity is diminished. Irmgard Bartenieff’s fundamentals and connectivity principles, myofascial principles, and other experiential anatomical movements are included as part of the movement design. When we reconnect to our inherent embodied dynamism in these ways it supports self-care and enhances feelings of well-being.

The fascia is like a network of connectivity fiber that runs through our entire body, separating and connecting our muscles, organs, bones, and nerves. A healthy fascia system affects feelings of well-being. This web consists of extracellular matrices and fibrous proteins. The main components are collagen for tensile strength and elastin for flexibility. Qualities of glide, tensegrity, and elasticity are important to the health of our fascia.

A healthy fascia system can be enhanced with targeted movement. My work with fascia is influenced by my study with Judy Gantz, who studied with Karen Gurtner, by classes with Tom Myers, and by decades of yoga practice.

Intentional fascia movement can shift our nervous system by introducing new neuro-myofascial patterns. Fascia acts like a sponge. It can be squeezed by applying biotensegrity in movement to flush out old fluids, and it can be soaked with rest to replenish with new fluid. Nerves run through the fascia and are also mobile in relation to our movement. Movement can be designed with certain qualities and targeted to increase lubrication and glide in the fascia. Through intentional movement we alter the gel state of mucopolysaccharides and thus the flow of interstitial fluids, and neural messages, and introduce new neuro-myofascial patterns.